Shoe-fastening.



Z. TANIHARA.

SHOE FASTENING.

APPLIOATION FILED 1:20.31, 1909.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

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s'rars SHOE-FASTENING.

erases.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZEN'I'ARO TANIHARA, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shoe'Fastenings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shoe fasteners,

and one of the principal objects of the same is to provide means for quickly fastening and unfastening a shoe.

Another object of the invention is to provide a series of slides connected by means of a lacing to flexible strips adapted to fold together when it is desired to remove the shoe from the foot, said strips being drawn upward to fasten the shoe.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe having a fastening applied thereto in accordance with my invent-ion, said fastening being shown in closed position. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the fastener pushed down to permit the shoe to be removed from the foot. Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation of the upper portion of the front of the shoe, andshowing the manner of connecting the lacing to the slides and flexible strips. Fig. 4 is a detail section, showing one of the slides and the construction of the head at the side of the ankle opening of the shoe.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a shoe which may be of any desired style or shape, said shoe having an instep opening in the upper 2. At each side of the instep opening a bead 3 is formed at the edge of the upper 2, said bead being formed by turning the edge of the upper backward and securing it by any suitable means.

A pair of flexible strips d of leather or other suitable material are secured at their lower ends, as at 5, to the vamp 6 of the shoe.

The slides 7 are each provided with a pair of spaced lugs 8, said lugs having registered perforations 9 therein, said perforations being in alinement with similar perforations in the strips 4:. The slides 7 are each provided with a curved guide member 10 adapt- Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Application filed December 31, 1909.

Patented Dec. 6, 191a.

Serial No. 535,873.

ed to engage the bead 3 upon the shoe upper 2 and said member 7 having also an underlying tlange 11 which extends underneath the head 3, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4L.

To connect the slides 7 with the flexible strips 4 a shoe lacing 12 is extended through the perforations 9 in the slides 7 and through the holes in the strips 4.

W hen it is desired to remove the shoe from the foot the upper slides 7 are pushed downward until they come into contact with the next pair below, and so on, until all the slides are located below the instep of the wearer, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. When the shoe is in this condition it may be readily placed upon the foot, and by drawing upward upon the strips 4: the shoe is fastened, as shown in Fig. 1. \Vhenever it is desired to adjust the ankle opening of the shoe the lacing 12 is untied and adjusted, after which it is again tied at the upper ends.

. From the foregoing it will be obvious that my shoe fastener permits the shoe to be quickly fastened and unfastened, and when desired the instep opening of the shoe may be adjusted by means of the lacing to any required degree.

I claim A shoe having beads throughout the sides of instep opening, slides movably mounted on the beads and each formed to provide a pair of inwardly extending spaced lugs, the lugs having alining apertures therein, fiexi ble strips having portions interposed between the lugs of the slides and having apertures alining with the apertures in the lugs, the said strips being permanently secured to the vamp of the shoe, and a lacing threaded through the alining perforations in the flexible strips and in the lugs of the slides and holding the strips operatively associated with the slides and operable to move the slides on the beads to move the strips and beaded portions respectively of the shoe into closed positions.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ZENTARO TJ-XNIHARA.

lVitnesses:

EDWARD J. LEARY, TIMOTHY MOONEY. 

